Counting Stars
by Suntiger
Summary: When plans go wrong, something better comes along.


_Suntiger:_ This is dedicated to xWhitexWindx. Another trade-off. I hope she likes it XD The OC belongs to her, and I do not own Kingdom Hearts.

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He had been staring out into the sea for hours. The rough waves were tumbling over and pulling everything in, dark teal currents reflecting the light from rays of sunshine peeking through charcoal clouds. A storm had just passed. Surely the sun would break free from its airy cage soon.

The wind tousled his hair gently, ruining the look he was going for this morning before the rage of the storm. The cool air lightly danced on his skin and brought the scent of sea salt that he could nearly taste on his tongue. Demyx heaved a heavy sigh. It just wasn't his day. He had wanted to go surfing but Axel bailed on him to go spend time with Roxas and Xion, and then this hell storm came out from nowhere.

Rain pounded the sand and the water had turned so dark it looked black. If Demyx had been any other surfer, he would have gotten into the water and taken advantage of the homicidal waves, but he chose to remain on the shore.

Nope. He wasn't having any of that.

His hands drummed a random beat on his surf board and he began to hum. Cyan eyes squinted at the roaring waves, studying the heights of the waves. He did not want to go in alone. What if he accidentally got hit on the head by his board? What if he drowned? What if he got bit by a shark and died of blood loss?

What. What if. What if.

Demyx was just not the type of guy to venture out by himself.

The clouds slowly dispersed, allowing more sunlight to spill out onto the scene. The sand grew warm to the touch. The sea gulls were flying closely to the water, catching the jumping fish with their beaks. It wasn't until a few moments had passed that he noticed another voice humming along with him.

She was humming so softly that her voice was barely audible. She seemed out of it- lost in her own world. Wavy sandy brown hair cascaded down to her midback, the green streaks appearing almost neon because of the sunlight. The petite girl's hazel eyes were zoning out but looking to the sea.

Her peachy skin seemed almost red—a previous sunburn? It made the freckles on her cheeks and nose stand out. She was humming the same tune he had been humming to himself, probably without even realizing it, and that alone made him smile.

"Hello there!" Demyx waved at her to catch her attention.

She blinked a few times, slowly returning to Earth, and stared at him. Her face flushed a darker red. "Umm…err…hi?" she greeted back hesitantly with a slight wave of hand.

"Thinking about swimming?" Demyx asked curiously.

She snorted. "Not really. Not when the water is like that." She motioned to the guitar on her back. "I came here to practice. I didn't think anybody would be here."

His face dropped. "Oh. Sorry." So much for having someone to swim with, but he probably should have already known that since she was dressed head to toe in baggy clothes. "Do I need to leave so you can practice?"

She cleared her throat nervously and shook her head. "It's fine. I don't mind."

She wasn't used to an audience, to be honest. This week marked her as a beginner and she wasn't comfortable with playing the guitar in front of people yet, but she thought it'd be rude to make him leave.

Might as well face the music.

"My name is Demyx. Yours?" He flashed a sweet smile at her.

"I'm..em…Natlie."

"Natlie? That's a strange name."

"No, not Natlie…Natalie," she corrected him.

"Well, why didn't you say so," he teased her, chuckling.

Her cheeks puffed up. "I just did!"

He couldn't resist smirking at her. She was just too cute when she did that. "So are you going to play or what?"

She glared at him, then swung over her guitar and sat down next to him. Hazel eyes rested uneasily on the instrument case and a pause of silence briefly hung in the air. Demyx was about to open his mouth to repeat his question when she cleared her throat.

"I…I don't really know what I'm doing." Her face flushed red.

Cyan eyes brightened at the idea of being a mentor. "Is that so?"

She narrowed her eyes in suspicion. "Yes, it is so. I just started to learn…"

His grin stretched. "Then you're in luck, pretty lady. I'm a musician."

"You're not a surfer?"

"Well…" He scratched the back of his head. "Let's just say that I'm a better musician than I am a surfer."

She snorted. "I'll believe that when I see it."

"May I?" he gestured to the instrument.

She passed the guitar to him, informing him of the music sheets inside the case. Demyx read over the notes, humming them softly, and began to string the guitar. As the waves gently crashed against the shore, the sun settled inches above the sea, and the sky was lit with pink and orange clouds. Two voices sung along as the notes were plucked on the instrument and hours passed by. Neither of them realized that the moon hung over them, casting a peaceful glow to the soothing waves. Or perhaps they had noticed but didn't care. They were just enjoying the moment.

The wind was much cooler, shifting the sand, erasing previous traces of footprints. The shore was a blank page to leave new messages.

The singing duet locked eyes and smiled.

"So what else do you do for fun?" Demyx asked.

She pondered for a bit, tilting her head back to glance at the sky. "Well…are you any good at stargazing?"

"Terrible. I can never tell the constellations apart."

Natalie laughed. "Ok, we'll just be counting stars then."

Demyx returned her guitar and together they walked on the shoreline, index fingers pointing at the numerous stars that invited them into the darkness.


End file.
